LIFE

Periods: Love 'em or hate 'em, they're just a part of womanhood. Over a fourth of the population has them, yet a stigma *still* seems to stick around about menstruation. Plus, according to regiscollege.edu, 25 million women in the U.S. live in poverty, but food stamps don't cover period products. The reality of period inequity in the world is awful, but these five truly inspiring period advocates are working to change this. 

1. Saranna Zhang 

@sarannazhang

This girl is a true period equality superstar. As the teen founder of The Period Pact, an organization committed to serving Houston menstruators and end period poverty and stigma through advocacy, outreach and education, Saranna has made (and continues to make!) a true difference. 

2. Asia Brown 

@_asiabrown

As the cofounder of 601 for Period Equity, Asia Brown is taking the world by storm with her meaningful activism. She's organized period product drives for incarcerated women, spreads awareness and information about menstrual health and uplifts Black menstruators. She was also awarded the 2021 Youth Champion Winner by Period. The Menstrual Movement. Talk about inspiring! 

3. Amika George 

@amikageorge

Amika, the founder of Free Periods, is on a mission to end period poverty in schools. She founded this organization around four years ago, and she has successfully campaigned the British government to provide free period products to *every* school in England. Plus, she was featured by Instagram (yep...the official @instagram!). The post is captioned, "When you are too poor to put food on the table or heat your home, chances are that you are struggling to afford period products too...Period poverty is a gendered inequality that only impacts people who menstruate. This isn't something we opt into; it's a natural biological process. We can all do more to break the stigma and shame bound up in periods. They're not something we should be silent and embarrassed about. They are normal, and we need to all talk more about periods to normalize the discourse around menstruation if we want to create a more equal society for all." We couldn't possibly agree more with Amika! 

4. Nadya Okamoto

@nadyaokamoto

The founder of PERIOD., Nadya is changing the narrative of menstruation. She's working to normalize periods and the side effects that come with it—and by posting a raw pic of her crying on her personal Insta, she does just that. Plus, she's partnered with big brands like Keds and CHNGE to celebrate and spread awareness about being a menstruator. 

5. Amanda Safi

@amanda_safi

Amanda Safi is a true inspiration, *and* she radiates 100% queen energy. She's initiated true change in and out of her school community—including by installing free period product dispensers in 2 buildings on campus at UCSC. She also helped get a California law passed that requires public schools to stock restrooms with free menstrual products. She believes that if toilet paper is free in public restrooms, then period products should be too. We couldn't possibly agree more.

Want more period content? Check out these related posts: 
🩸 How to show yourself some love on your period 
🩸 What you need to know about period underwear 
🩸 Period problems *every* girl can relate to 

How do you celebrate your period? Help us destigmatize menstruation and let us know on Twitter @girlslifemag!

GIF via GIPHY

by Eva Mandelbaum | 4/17/2022